Batman: The Dark Knight #23.4: Joker's DaughterReview

This is one weird comic book, and not in a good way. It certainly has no relation, whatsoever, to the Batman: The Dark Knight ongoing series. And it doesn't tie into Forever Evil either. It does almost nothing to justify its existence. The story is less than engaging and the main character is probably the least interesting villain of all time. Joker's Daughter is a mess from start to finish and certainly not a comic that can be recommended to fans of Batman or the Joker. This is rock bottom for Villains Month, no doubt.

Ann Nocenti doesn't give us much to grab onto in this issue. Joker's Daughter is just a crazy chick who finds the Joker's face floating in a pool of water. That's basically the story. Our main character was born crazy, gets crazier, and eventually leads some sort of weird homeless revolution against a dude wearing a jacket made out of pennies. If that sounds quirky and fun, but I can assure you it is not. It's weird without being interesting.

The art by Georges Jeanty, Dexter Vines, and Michelle Madsen misses the mark, too. Maybe it's the less than inspiring setting, but there's just nothing to grab on to here. There's a major disconnect between the story and visuals; things just don't add up. Joker's Daughter is armed with a crescent tipped staff that she somehow uses to burn smiles onto people's faces. The angles don't line up and the action is confusing. The characters' anatomy looks bizarre at best. There are a few good visual moments in this issue when we glimpse life before madness, but those are few and far between.

The Gotham Underground is quickly becoming a base of power in the DC Universe! After the destruction of Arkham Asylum, The Joker's Daughter is gaining hordes of followers across the terrifying and brutal landscape!